Shifting perceptions of the Holocaust in the Arab world

Ordinarily, there is nothing sensational about the words “never again” inscribed in the visitors' book at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. Dozens, if not hundreds and thousands of visitors, have used that slogan in guest books to sum up their feelings after visiting the Berlin Holocaust Memorial or Yad Vashem or numerous other Holocaust memorials around the world. Never again shall that fate befall the Jewish people. Never again shall the world allow another Holocaust. But what makes the writing of the words Tuesday in Berlin truly significant is that they were written in Arabic, as well as in English, and that the person who wrote them was United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed. Bin Zayed was in Berlin for a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi. It is not everyday that a minister of an Arab or Muslim state visits a Holocaust memorial, nor every day that he writes a slogan that has become synonymous with Israel's imperative to defend itself against those seeking to destroy it. Bin Zayed called the site “a witness to the fall of a group of human beings who were victims of advocates of extremism and hatred.” “I salute the souls of those who fell victim to the Holocaust,” he wrote, then translating into Arabic the traditional Hebrew saying regarding those who have died, “May their souls be bound up in the bonds of eternal life.” Bin Zayed's impressive visit – a testament to the degree to which Abu Dhabi wants to ensure that the recently signed agreement between the two countries will be a warm peace between the peoples – becomes even more exceptional considering the history of Holocaust denial and attempts to minimize the scope of the Holocaust in the Mideast. For instance, just across the Gulf from the UAE is Iran, a country whose leaders frequently peddle in Holocaust denial, and which periodically holds Holocaust denial cartoon competitions and seminars. Closer to home, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wrote a Holocaust revisionist dissertation for his PhD from a Russian University in 1982 titled, “Connection between the Nazis and the Leaders of the Zionist Movement 1933 – 1945.” In that dissertation, later turned into a book, Abbas wrote that the Zionist movement collaborated with the Nazis in order to get Jews to move to Palestine. He also wrote that the figure of six million Jews killed was exaggerated, and that the number of dead was closer to one million. He has never unequivocally disassociated himself from this thesis. It is against this background that bin Zayed's visit and words must be seen, and which make them impressive. For years Holocaust denial held sway in large parts of the Mideast where it was also common to believe that the West created Israel as a form of “compensation” for the Holocaust. Since many in the region also deny any historical Jewish claim to Israel, if you deny the Holocaust, then you wash away any possible justification for the creation of the State of Israel. Seen in this context, the UAE foreign minister's visit to a Holocaust memorial was the logical next step following his country's courageous decision to sign a peace deal with Israel, a move that recognized the Jewish state's legitimacy. Once you recognize Israel's legitimacy, there is no need to deny the Holocaust. Bin Zayed's visit was seen largely as a respectful gesture toward Israelis and as a way to signal a desire to build a different kind of relationship with Israel than that which exists between Israel and Jordan and Egypt. But it was more than that. This visit, covered in the Arabic press, also sent an important message to the Arab world about the need to look truthfully at the past, and that nothing is gained by denying history. Just as bin Zayed delivered his remarks last month at the White House signing ceremony in Arabic – ensuring that his people heard what he said about the agreement – so too did he sign the guest book in Arabic. Peace, as the failure of the Oslo Accords showed, will not take root simply because leaders sign agreements. Attitudes need to change, hearts and minds addressed. Bin Zayed's visit to the Berlin Holocaust Memorial is a laudable indication that the Emirates intend to do just that.

Shifting perceptions of the Holocaust in the Arab world

It is not everyday that a minister of an Arab or Muslim state visits a Holocaust memorial.

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Shifting perceptions of the Holocaust in the Arab world

It is not everyday that a minister of an Arab or Muslim state visits a Holocaust memorial.

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